What is an Initial Public Offering [IPO]?

Join Our Mailing List

Physician Investing Basics

[By Julia O’Neal MA, CPA]

When companies first go public they issue stock in an initial public offering (IPO). Most of the time these stocks are sold in large blocks to institutional investors and it is only after they begin trading on the exchanges that individuals, like physicians, can buy them. Sometimes these issues are very desirable—they may rise significantly even on the day of issuance. 

However, over the longer term the excitement tends to dissipate, and it is much easier to evaluate a company once it has settled into a “trading range.” 

Outstanding Stock 

Once stock is sold to the public it is called outstanding.  

Primary Offerings 

A company’s corporate charter usually has authorized more stock for future issuance. When this stock is issued it is called a primary offering (as distinguished from the IPO).  

Secondary Offerings 

A secondary offering is the re-issue to the public of a large block of shares that has been previously held by a large investor. A primary offering is issued by the company itself and a secondary offering is handled for an outside investor by investment bankers. 

Rights Offerings 

More shares of stock in a company with the same assets dilute the value of the currently outstanding shares. When more stock is offered to the public, existing common shareholders have a right to buy enough shares to maintain their proportionate share in the company—they are offered the opportunity in a “rights offering,” and usually the shares to be purchased with preemptive rights are offered at a subscription price below current market price. 

Rights, like warrants, allow an investor to buy a certain number of shares or portions of shares at a certain price and may be traded.  Unlike warrants, rights expire after a certain period of time. When offered rights, an investor should examine the offering prospectus to determine what the newly raised capital will be used for. 

Stock Buy-Backs and Treasury Stocks 

Outstanding shares are attributed their pro rata portion of earnings. When companies buy back their own stock in a “stock buyback,” it is called “treasury stock” and does not participate in earnings or dividends.  This action reduces the number of shares and makes existing shares more valuable while allowing them to receive a larger portion of earnings.

It is positive for a company to buy back stock and negative for it to issue more stock—more outstanding stock is dilutive to earnings and to the value of existing stock.  It is also positive when management of a company (“insiders”) buys stock—it usually means that those closest to the company believe it is undervalued.

Warrants 

Warrants are attached to bonds in order to allow the bond issuer to make the securities attractive with a lower-than-market coupon. Warrants also have a subscription price that is usually lower than the market price of the stock, so once they are separated from the bonds they have an intrinsic value. Warrants may remain effective for several years or in perpetuity. Dividends are not paid on warrants.

Channel Surfing the ME-P

Have you visited our other topic channels? Established to facilitate idea exchange and link our community together, the value of these topics is dependent upon your input. Please take a minute to visit. And, to prevent that annoying spam, we ask that you register. It is fast, free and secure.

Conclusion

Your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.

Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

Financial Planning MDs 2015

Comprehensive Financial Planning Strategies for Doctors and Advisors: Best Practices from Leading Consultants

The 2008 MEDMARX Report

United States Pharmacopeia [USP]

Staff Reporters 

 

After examining records submitted by 870 hospitals to MEDMARX, a database run by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), a new report finds that 1.4 percent of mistakes resulted in patient harm, including seven errors that may have caused or contributed to death.  The study implicated 1,470 different drugs in errors associated with brand or generic names that looked or sounded similar. The USP compiled an even longer list of 3,170 name-pairs that looked or sounded alike.  

Assessment 

Medication mix-ups doubled since 2004 driven largely by a troubling proliferation of prescription drugs with confusingly similar names. The 2008 total is nearly double the 1,750 pairs that USP identified in the 2004 study. 

Conclusion

And so, how is this possible with bar-coding, RFID tags, eMRs, CPOEs and related modern inventory management technologies? 

Related info: www.HealthcareFinancials.com 

Terms: www.HealthDictionarySeries.com